Ai Weiwei Released: Report; See Photos of Artist’s Work

Ym Yik, EPA / Landov

Renowned artist and activist Ai Weiwei has been released after nearly three months in jail. Chinese state media claim that Ai was released because he had “confessed” to tax evasion, and because he was in poor health. Ai returned home to his studio in Beijing on Wednesday, thanked reporters for their support and said his health was fine. Ai was jailed on April 3, and became the most high-profile victim of a huge crackdown on dissidents resulting from Beijing's anxiety over the Arab Spring uprisings. The Chinese government, however, claims that Beijing Fake Cultural Development Ltd., a company linked to Ai, evaded a "huge amount" of taxes, though Ai's wife has repeatedly said the company is registered in her name, not his.